Association of Colleges

The Employment Team sits within the Employment and Professional Services Directorate at the AoC.  The work of the team covers a broad spectrum and includes:

Advice: providing confidential advice and support to AoC member Colleges on Employment related issues, ranging through the full spectrum of HR, employment law and industrial relations.

Policy guidance: researching and developing national policy guidance for employment in FE Colleges, including negotiating national joint agreements on employment policy and procedure with nationally recognised trade unions.

Representation: a key AoC role is to represent Colleges nationally to Government and national organisations. The Employment Team engages with DBIS and DCSF on all matters of employment policy relevant to the FE sector and responds to government consultations on changes in employment law that are important to Colleges.  The Team also acts as a conduit between policy-makers and member Colleges, encouraging two-way communication through our member networks and our engagement with national working groups.

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AoC members can access the following employment services:

A to Z of employment topics
Get straight to the topic you need with our A to Z.

HR advice
Expert advisers are available to provide practical solutions in response to HR enquiries via telephone and email.

Annual surveys and benchmarking for the FE sector
Access our annual survey reports including staff turnover and absence rates in the FE sector. 

Briefings
As part of our advisory service we issue regular briefings on all aspects of employment relevant to Colleges and updates on national pay negotiations.

Child protection and safeguarding guidance
Visit our safeguarding pages for sector-specific guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and safer recruitment in Colleges.

Conferences and events
We host two annual conferences specifically for HR professionals in the FE sector and an HR Induction event that provides an introduction to AoC and its services.

National networks for HR professionals 
National and regional HR networks have been established for AoC members to meet regularly to share information and good practice.

Pay Negotiations
The AoC Employment Team, together with representatives from the AoC Employment Committee, conduct national negotiations for a pay recommendation with the joint trade unions.  More details on this annual process, together with the recommended pay scales and pay claim, are available to AoC member Colleges.

Resources Library
Access our Joint Agreements on Guidance, developed jointly with trade unions, model contracts pack, letter templates for handling Preston part-time pension claims, and other guidance here.

Representation
This section provides information about the national working groups that we engage with, representing Colleges and raising awareness of their needs.

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Contact details

Contact a member of the Employment Team on 020 7034 9900 or via email